An investigation by the IDF found “serious faults” in the training exercise during which soldier Hillel Nehemiah Ofen died, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced on Sunday.
Ofen, 20, from Karmei Tzur, north of Hebron, died while on a training exercise in the center of the country near the Adam training facility for Yahalom, an elite special operations unit in the Engineering Corps.
“Serious faults emerged in the conduct of the training and in the implementation of the orders to carry it out, in the aspects of rest times, supervision, and control of the training,” said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
The IDF said at the time of Ofen’s death that the participants in the exercise had rested most of the day.
The investigation also found that it was “impossible to estimate” how long it took from the moment Ofen collapsed to the moment he was found unconscious.
IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi tours Israel’s northern border with Lebanon on August 2, 2023 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)Six additional soldiers were transferred for medical examinations during the exercise due to exhaustion. After their medical condition was found to be normal, they returned to the training.
In light of the investigation, immediate lessons were learned concerning the command and control of training, ensuring compliance with safety procedures and managing a situation assessment in relation to the weather conditions.
Additionally, last week, a discussion led by IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was held on the subject of training in the IDF in light of the weather. During the discussion, decisions were made to take strict precautions concerning the approval and conduct of training in accordance with weather conditions and situation assessments.
Further investigations and examinations still underway
An investigation by military police into the incident is still underway and the findings of that investigation will be forwarded to the military attorney’s office for examination.
An examination is also being conducted by a team of experts led by the commander of the 679th Brigade, Elad Efrati, to examine cross-cutting issues concerning training in special units and the effects of weather changes on IDF training. The conclusions of the examination will be presented to the chief of staff.
The chief of staff expressed his sorrow over Ofen’s death, saying that this was a serious incident which obliges the IDF to conduct an in-depth examination to clarify the circumstances of the incident.
The findings of the command investigation were presented to the Ofen family.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
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